Childhood obesity continues to be a serious problem in Jamaica, with more than 11 per cent of children, 10 to 15 years old, and 35 per cent of teenagers, between 15 and 18 years, being classified as overweight or obese.

The Government is moving to address the issue and other lifestyle diseases, through the recently established National Non-Communicable Diseases Committee.

Director, Health Promotion and Protection Unit, Ministry of Health, Dr. Kevin Harvey, tells JIS News that childhood obesity is not only a problem in Jamaica. He says it is already an epidemic in many countries, and is on the rise in most others, with an estimated 22 million children, under the age of five years, deemed to be overweight worldwide.

nearly two-fold

He informs that in England, obesity in adolescents and children of all ethnicities has increased nearly two-fold over the past 10 years. In Brazil, the prevalence of obesity in older children, aged six to 18, almost tripled between 1975 and 1997. In the United States, the number of overweight children has doubled and the number of overweight adolescents has tripled since 1980.

He notes that this shows that "we're having not just an issue relating to the non-communicable diseases among our adults, but our children and adolescents are suffering disproportionately."

Dr. Harvey further says childhood obesity places future generations at high risk of obesity, as obese adolescents eventually become obese adults. Data show that up to 80 per cent of children, who were overweight between ages 10 and 15 years, were obese adults at age 25.

He says the issue is of critical health concern for all governments based on its immediate and long-term health impacts.

He says a multi-sectoral approach, involving stakeholders from both the private and public sector, is needed to fight the epidemic.